The Agony and the Eggplant

by Walter Hogan

The Agony and the Eggplant is the first book-length study of author, illustrator, and radio personality, Daniel Pinkwater. Pinkwater began writing and illustrating children's books in 1970 and has been a prolific author for three decades. He has written over 70 books more than fifty picture books, a dozen books for middle-grade or intermediate readers, half a dozen books for adolescents, an adult novel, and several books of nonfiction.

Pinkwater is a humorist, and many of his stories involve science fiction or fantasy themes. He is often compared with Douglas Adams and Kurt Vonnegut; his style is often likened to Monty Python and Mad magazine. Pinkwater's fiction has often been described as "wacky" and "zany;" The Agony and the Eggplant will go beyond those cliches to place Pinkwater as a classical satirist, an American humorist, and a master of children's literature. Sprinkled with quotes and observations from Pinkwater, Hogan gives us a highly entertaining look at the man responsible for some of the most unique young adult fiction on the market.

176 pages, Hardcover

First published March 21, 2001

Reviews

[Marshall Müller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly summaries of pinkwater works with occasional insights that are interesting to a pinkwater fan. In general I’d prefer to read pinkwater’s own material and would recommend that as well unless you wanted to get more background information as I did.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rounded up to three stars because the book is very well written but I have to say I did not enjoy it.

It's a book length examination on the writing career of Daniel Pinkwater.

Background: Pinkwater is my favorite writer and has been since 3rd grade. He sits on a pedestal where few others are even worthy to kneel at.

But

I like him because of the magic. Because of the spell he puts me under with his writing and believe it or not this book seemed to peel away some of the magic of Pinkwater. At the end of the day I don't want to know how he comes up with his ideas or if anything stands for anything else....I just want to be transported to a world filled with beatniks and hippies, somewhere in Jersey or Chicago where I can hang out with outsiders, rejects and others that think differently, people who eat crazy food and frequent new age establishments.

I love Pinkwater but enjoy not knowing the details that this book gives.
If you are the kind of person who watches "The Making of..." documentaries then this book is for you...not me though.

[Abby]

A great look at the books of Daniel Pinkwater and the themes of his books. One of the best authors of all time, and one that really helped to shape my sense of humor.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Daniel Pinkwater, his books and his commentaries on NPR. I really liked learning more about him and why he writes children's books.